Stormchaser Medbay

Kai: -...y-yeah. I guess so.

-She takes a few pained breaths to try to relax.-

Kai: ...Beryllium... took something from your head. Memories. Avada... tried to put them back. But they said they— they got what they needed.

-...-

Kai: ...I-I'm so sorry. I... I should have just gotten us out of there. Instead of— instead of fighting them.

CW: Death implied

JD grumbled as he stepped in, Agent Fox waiting for him.

"Fox."

"Joseph."

JD grumbled, "So, I'm stuck on duty down here with you?"

Fox shrugged, "It's not so bad, I've solved a lot of cold cases here. A lot of unusual ones as well, answers are usually Beheeyem, psychics, aurics, and the occasional mutant."

"Mutant?" JD asked, "What do you mean-"

JD suddenly had a file handed to him, it read Z-1X02, he opened it up and began to read through... closing it shortly after, "Okay wow... uhm... ageless mutant man who squeezed through tight spaces. Great."

Fox nodded, "We have a lot of them, not all of them have been solved," he said sitting down, a poster behind him depicting a UFO with the text "I want to believe". JD stared at the man as he sat there smiling, he knew more than he let on.

"So, what, we review cold cases and determine what we can learn from them?" JD asked, his eyes glowing as he scanned the room.

"Pretty much, current cases may actively involve details from these. New information or old information, whatever we can grab that can be useful," Fox explained, "So... let's get started."

JD sighed and picked up a folder box.

The two had been at it for an hour, Fox had called someone to grab him a box of donuts and some coffee, he knew it'd be an all nighter. JD didn't need to eat, he spent some processes of his android form to stretch and yawn internally, scanner didn't exactly help for process of detection.

Something caught his eye, he blinked, and held up a photo, "Hey Fox. This is one of the more recent ones right? Only a few years old?"

Fox nodded, "Yeah, what about it?"

JD held up another photo, "I think I got something here."

Fox stepped over and the two stared at the photos, JD brought out a washable pen and circled around the spots. Fox stared, in both photos there was a man wandering through the crowd, he was dressed vastly different in both. Fox opened his mouth to say something, before running off and then coming back with more.

The two dug through the photos and found the man in every single picture, "That... how does that happen?" JD asked, "How does one man not get noticed?"

"He's... very normal looking, he blends into a crowd easily, but these other photos," Fox noted, "This is the most recent one. The death of Detective Jason, he was investigating several grave robbings and the loss of numerous stocks of genetic material out in Angela. Here is the footage from the hallway outside his office in that region."

The footage showed Interpol officers wandering about, talking with individual people, local police. Jason stretched and yawned as he opened the door to his office... followed by the blonde haired man, who drew a pistol and loaded it, waving to everyone around... no one took notice.

There was a brief minute, as everyone looked to the office in shock. Officers rushing over, opening the door and going in, as the blonde man walked out, wiping blood off his face with a paper towel, tossing it into garbage, and leaving.

JD stared, "How... how did nobody notice him?"

Fox sighed, "Better question, how do we prove he exists when we can't remember ever seeing him."

Stormchaser Medbay

Kahlia: Beryllium... so that was what they called m- called her.

-She shakes her head at Kai.-

Kahlia: No, it... what they did, it's not your fault. You saved me. If you hadn't been there, I... I don't know what they would've done, but I wouldn't be here right now. I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm the idiot who got you caught up in all of this... if you'd never met me, none of this would've ever happened.

-She looks over at Brie.-

Kahlia: It... it's hard to explain. Have you ever heard of a place called...

-She wracks her brain for a moment, as if having trouble recalling the name.-

Kahlia: ...called the School?

Stormchaser Medbay

Brie: Uh, yeah, they've been a whole thing recently.

Apple-A-Day: This is apparently a good place to stay safe if you're being hunted by them.

Brie: Are you mentally workshopping teacher and apple puns?

Apple-A-Day: I— you can't prove that.

{REDACTED}, Safe House

Neodymium: ~Oh...~

~Well then, that means we did it! That's great!~

-she glances at Ferrum's tantrum from the other room, decides that it's probably not an issue, and gives Bela a hug-

~That's gonna look really good on our exams, you know. We completed our mission even when the Engineer was all like "bleagh, I'm terrible at this"!~

-she frowns-

~Are you okay, though? You look weird. Maybe I'm just not used to seeing your face?~

Interpol International Offices

If the agents sorted through the photos they might find something odd.

In two of the photos they might find something that looks like a shadow, vaguely catmon shaped. Upon closer inspection they would find it's actually someone wearing a cat-eared hoodie and posing like a cat. The photos this person is in are in completely different parts of the world and at different times of day.

Rebel Island

Helvetica and Lita join up with the rest of the tour group along with Jess and her mons.

Stormchaser Medbay

Kai: Y-yeah. We... know a lot about the School. They're... invested, now, in finding their old assets and— and dealing with them.

-She has another coughing fit-

Kai: Ow. Urgh. We... there was Beryllium, a-and then... Ferrum? Iron? But— he said he was a Templar, they don't... usually have the element names, I thought... and then... Sixty? What— what is element sixty, on the table?

Stormchaser Training Room, past

-To Mason-

Continued existence then, but yeah. Is it okay to inform the others yet, or should I continue keeping this under my hat for now?

Ballimere Lake, today

-Carefully moving from spot to spot-

Damned Tyrantrum, damned Boltund, damned Magmar...

Stormchaser Medbay

-Kahlia nods at Brie and Apple-A-Day, slumping down further into her bed.-

Kahlia: ...Then you know what they're capable of. They... they took me, and made... made Beryllium, it seems. We... we're not going to be safe here forever. Nobody ever is. But... thank you, I guess, for the offer.

-She frowns in response to Kai's question.-

Kahlia: Sixty... element sixty... that's... it should be...

-She presses her fingers to her temples, looking distraught.-

Kahlia: ...I don't know. I can't even remember what I should be able to remember and what I shouldn't.

{REDACTED}, Safe House

-Bela flinches at the sudden contact from Neo, before suddenly realising that her face is showing emotion and quickly correcting this matter.-

Bela: ~...Sensory overload. My helmet forces me to rely on my mental acumen by blocking out more traditional stimuli, since the senses are easily fooled. That stimuli is now all coming through at once.~

-She shakes her head.-

Bela: ~Regardless, I am fine. I... such memories are simply harder to process when their source material is similar to my own. It feels like- it will take some meditation to filter useful information from the detritus, is the point. A minor delay at most.~

-She looks up at Neo, doing her best to keep her expression level.-

Bela: ~Also, you shouldn't talk about a Templar like that. Even if it's a good impression.~

Edited by Herbert40k on Aug 10th 2021 at 4:13:50 PM

Stormchaser Medbay

Apple-A-Day: Oh! Neodymium.

Brie: Wh— how do you remember that?

Apple-A-Day: Didn't you have to memorize the periodic table?

Amanita: Yeah, but it didn't exactly stay memorized.

Apple-A-Day: Huh.

Brie: ...This really will be safe. I promise. We have a lot of force backing us here.

Apple-A-Day: Like me!

Brie: Yeah, exactly. Like Apple-A-Day. Maybe we could start compiling some kind of list of School agents we meet, what they can do, that sort of thing?

Apple-A-Day: (to Kahlia) Um...a friend of mine is from the School. She's here. If you want to talk to her, maybe? Or we're here, obviously.

{REDACTED}, Safe House

Neodymium: ~Okay, yeah.~ (serious voice) ~Ferrum's very cool and talented.~

-her frown gets more pronounced-

~Here, let me help.~

-she conjures up a handful of Light Screens, positioning them in front of Bela's eyes and ears-

~Is that any better?~

Stormchaser Medbay

Kai: ...y-yeah. Good idea.

-They cough again-

Kai: ...Beryllium takes memories. Generally fought by directly attacking the mind, it looked like. I think she had a Gallade partner.

Neodymium, I guess... I had trouble figuring out exactly what she was doing, but it seemed like she specialized in augmenting her allies. Used a lot of Light Screens to bounce beams around. Avada shut... something down, but it wasn't the full technique. I think... she multitasks? Uses multiple techniques simultaneously? Had an Indeedee.

They were both kids. They looked... fourteen-ish.

Ferrum, the Templar, used magnetism. Thought it was standard fare telekinesis at first. Tried to stop it with Gravity. It... didn't work right. He managed to hit me with— with a big hammer.

-She brings a hand to around where the initial impact hit her and broke her ribs.-

Kai: Electrical interference messed him up. It wasn't absolute, but it helped. Oh, also, he had a Metagross.

-She attempts to keep her breathing steady again.-

Kai: ...Ferrum isn't smart. He can't read minds. I bluffed at him. Pretended I was another Schoolkid, so he would leave Kahlia alone. It worked for a bit. Now— I think I'm a major target now. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

Stormchaser Training Room

Mason: ...I dunno. I think a significant number of Schoolkids, truant or not, already know. The ones that don't... up to you, I guess. Not everyone's got Xerneas looking out for them. Not everyone will allow themselves that sort of hope.

Galar Mountains

And as Emer was climbing up, Alyesha dutifully kept the rope she was hanging on taut at all times, of course that meant she didn't actually see her ascend (meaning it would be easy to use some powers to quicken said ascent without it really showing).

With the rock anchor now taken back, the climb would continue until Emer would reach the edge of the wall, at which point she would find a hand outstretched for her to take.

Alyesha: "Yep~ Awesome start, you're a fast one, Emer~"

And with that, emer would get a congratulatory pat on the back and some help getting back on her feet.

Alyesha: "Now, the first 20 meters are down~ Only a few thousand left to go~"

As she was saying that, Alyesha grinned from ear to ear, quite obviously more than eager to continue their climb and concquer that mountain.

Stormchaser Training Room, past

-To Mason-

I meant more the rest of the J-Team since like you said I figure most of them know already, but I'll keep that in mind.

Stormchaser

-Neon gets a beep on his phone. Odin gets a beep on his previously gone-dark transmitter-

Oran OS: Good news you two! I found a couple people!

Odin: You did?

Neon: Where?

Oran OS: Spikemuth!

Odin: Isn't there like, a wall around that city?

Oran OS: Yes! But I have a plan!

Neon: I sure hope so...

-And they all head off-

Edited by Umbramatic on Aug 11th 2021 at 2:01:52 PM

Spikemuth Gym, sometime late last year

Channah: I'm Ace Trainer Channah, and this is my favorite gym in Galar.

Korexis: <But you haven't fought anyone yet...>

Channah: No Dynamaxing. Automatically qualifies as best gym.

Outside Spikemuth Gym, same time

-Piers and his companion turn as the sounds of battle start up inside-

Piers: Huh, Marnie must be fightin someone. Late in the day, but when the mood strikes... So how long are you stayin in town, Kam?

Kamon: -takes a drag- I thought perhaps a few days. It's nice to cool your heels at home for a bit when you're on a wild little adventure like this. -bumps Piers' shoulder- You doing anything tonight, by the way?

Back inside

Channah: Ouch. -rubs her nose, then looks at the nothing in front of her- Gym leaders and their godsdamned invisible walls...

Hale: -glances at the Mr. Mime- <Cease.>

Mr. Mime: -visibly resists, but eventually goes vacant-eyed and drops the wall-

Grunt: Oi! You can't do that!

Hale: <LookslikeIjustdid.>

Channah: -shrugs fondly- Hale does what Hale wants.

Grunt: Well, you're gonna fight me anyway. You don't disrespect our Marnie like that!

Channah: Sure whatever.

Marnie: So hey, I'm Marnie.

Channah: I thought the leader here was a dude?

Marnie: Nah, that was my big bro, he retired. I've been workin on really polishin up my skills lately, since I'm a Gym Leader now an all that. All right, Liepard, let's show em our teamwork!

Channah: So many options... Gwen, come on out!

Liepard: <Heheheheh... You're in for a bad time.>

Gwen: -summons Hail, then puts up an Aurora Veil, turning the gym eerie colors, excuse me, colours-

Liepard: -Snarl- <Hssss, stop that!> -uses Torment-

Gwen: -Bug Buzzes it to death-

Marnie: Go, Toxicroak! -sends out her next mon, who Earthquakes Gwen to little effect before going down in a Blizzard-

Gwen: -continues to Bug Buzz as Scrafty comes out, surviving a Thunderpunch, then makes it Hail one last time before fainting to a repeat Thunderpunch-

Channah: Good job. Toshiko, uh, Dragon Claw. Why can I never remember Scrafty's type...

Toshiko: <˙ǝʎǝ ʎɯ uᴉ ʇǝǝls ʇoƃ I ʞuᴉɥʇ I 'ɥɔʍO> -slashes at Scrafty-

-Scrafty steals back some health with a Drain Punch, but Tosh shoots a Flash Cannon and criticals into a KO-

Morpeko: <I could use a bite to eat right now...> -uses Aura Wheel, whatever that looks like, and knocks Tosh out. Channah sends out Martha, who blasts a blinding beam of glittering light at Morpeko and sends it back to its trainer handily-

Marnie: We don't need ta Dynamax! Grimmsnarl, you got this! Max Darkness!

Ianto: <Dude, dude!> -gets knocked around and lets out a confused Boomburst in response-

Marnie: <Eh, your Toxtricity could use some music lessons. Max Starfall now!

-Misty Terrain floods the arena and Ianto only manages a Sludge Bomb before fainting in a repeat Starfall-

Channah: Hale, Close Combat. Heh, close. Hee hee. -giggles stupidly to herself as Hale beats Grimmsnarl to an inch of its life, ending the fight-

Marnie: -withdraws Grimmsnarl- So I lost, but I got to see a good team in action. You know, I used to cry all the time, but then my big brother caught me a Morpeko, and that changed everythin!

Channah: Oh hey, same. Mine gave me a rodent, too. A Rattata. Top percentage.

Marnie: Whoa, that's amazin. Don't tell me you've got gym leaders in the family?

Channah: Uh, nah. We don't have the patience for it. But my brother retired from the game just the same. And he actually made me a fanclub of sorts too. Except they're wanted in four regions for tax fraud...

Marnie: Wow. Well, you've earned this gym badge! Thanks for a fun battle. We do exhibition matches once a day here, ya know. Morpeko would love to see you again!

Channah: Um, yeah, I'll think about it.

Ballimere Lake, past

Channah: -argues with a passing Corviknight from her perch on Tagg's shoulder-

Spikemuth, last year

-Cheering from behind the grate with a bunch of Spikemuth Gym Trainers-

Dyna Tree Hill, past

-We reach the the immediate area of the tree-

Yew: <I wonder what would happen if we shook that tree enough.>

With our luck, we'd probably have to fight a Dynamaxed Greedent like that Vespiquen back on the Isle of Armor.

-Suddenly, what looks like an Articuno appears... but one very much not like any I've ever seen before-

Muddy: <They have legendary variations in this region too?>

Helios: <Seems like it.>

-Scanning-

I think this may be one of the Galarian legendary birds, Uxie said normally they only appear in the Crown Tundra every few decades, otherwise they're busy traveling all over the place, so this is a lucky break for us.

Maybe that's why she asked me to come to this region when I did...

Galarian Articuno: -Seemingly taking no interest in us as they start partaking in the fruit of the Dyna Tree, only to turn to the right and fire eye beams at a Moltres that looks more it had fused with Yveltal-

Galaran Moltres: -Counters with an attack of its own as the two birds size each other up-

Crochet: <There's something... up with that Moltres' flames.>

Those aren't flames, it's Obscura.

Ginny: -Immediately feels the urge to go charge into the fray, only to be stopped by Tendril's vines yanking her back as a stray fiery Obscura blast lands where she would've been seconds ago, similarly to Pugh- <Let me go!>

Anthracite: <They're part of the mission, aren't they? Should we try getting their attention?>

Doppler: <That feels... unwise while they're still fighting.>

Circhester Stadium, Gym Challenge Puzzle Room

Me: Let's go.

-Ian steps out onto the floor of stone, Evelyn following close behind him.-

Me: -telepathically to Evelyn- ~And don't worry about the traps... I won't let you fall.~

Evelyn: -telepathically to Ian- ~Thank you, Ian...~

Battle Outside Hammerlocke, VS Hoops

-The lightning of the Electric Terrain courses through Kit and Kec's bodies as the bolt hits them.-

Kit and Kec: <AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!>

Evelyn: Kit! Kec! No!

-Kit falls to the ground, unconscious.-

Kit: -weakly- <I'm... so sorry, Evelyn...>

Evelyn: It's alright, Kit... You did your best. You deserve a nice long rest.

-Evelyn calls Kit back to his Poké Ball.-

Evelyn: Kec, can you still fight?

Kec: <I can...>

Evelyn: Thank you. Now, strike with Iron Tail!

-Kec then swings an electrically charged metal tail at Ray.-

Wild Area

Me: A Pokémon?

Evelyn: So cool! What kind of Pokémon is it?

Rebel Island

-Belladonna panics as Lamb asks her if she was mocking her and covers her glowing red face, becoming even more flustered than she was before.-

Belladonna: N-No... I swear I wasn't! I'm not mocking you! It just slipped out! You were too cute, I wasn't paying attention!

Also Belladonna: -screams internally-

Somewhere in Unova, with Alexis and Radon

Alexis: I have, indeed. Now, listen closely.

-Radon listens closely.-

Alexis: Okay, so there's this feeling out there, that is hard to explain under normal circumstances, but it does have a name.

Radon: Huh? What is that name?

Alexis: It's called "love" and it's a curious thing. It can make one man weep and another man sing.

Radon: So that warmth in my heart I felt when our PSI attacks clashed... and when I started to question whether retrieving Goldy was right or not... That was love?

Alexis: That it was. And, truth be told, there are many different forms of love, more than just the romantic love between people who really care about each other. There's friendship, unconditional love, and familial love, just to name a few. A good example of familial love would be Nitrogen.

Radon: Huh? Skates?

Alexis: That's right. Nitrogen sees you as like a brother to her.

Radon: I see...

Alexis: Well, the thing about love is, you know it when you feel it. It comes with the warmth you feel in your heart. With the power that love provides, anything is possible. After all, people do crazy things when they're in love.

Radon: Even stand opposed to those with my or Ferrum's level of power?

Alexis: Exactly.

Stormchaser Medbay

-Kahlia gives a faint nod to Brie and Apple-A-Day.-

Kahlia: That... that might be a g-good idea, yeah. Also seriously, what is with the costume?

-Her face screws up with consternation at Kai's rundown.-

Kahlia: I... Tapu, this is all just making my head hurt. Feels like trying to cram for ten exams at once after a concussion. But... if Ferrum's a Templar, he should be able to do regular psychic stuff too. I- I think. I'm not even sure about anything anymore...

-She hesitates, then gives a determined scowl.-

Kahlia: ...N-no, that's not true. I'm sure I'm not going to let them hurt you again, Kai. This is my fight, it shouldn't have to be yours as well.

{REDACTED}, Safe House

-Despite herself, Bela lets out a small giggle at Neo's first remark, though her expression quickly hardens.-

Bela: ~...Not really. But it was a worthwhile effort.~

-She shakes her head.-

Bela: ~I think... as I said, I simply need time to process everything. Once Ferrum has stabilsed and Alumnus Forty-Two returns we can start preparing a report. I'll make a note of your contributions in my own account.~

-She allows the faintest of smiles, but her overall demeanour seems more lost and confused than anything.-

Edited by Herbert40k on Aug 11th 2021 at 12:16:17 PM

Battle Outside Hammerlocke [TS]

Ray is badly hurt from his own lightning attack, his ability to absorb electricity being overwhelmed by the sudden rush. At least, though, his reserves have been recharged by that attack.

Nevertheless, as Kec runs at him with his electrically charged Iron Tail, he smiles.

Hoops: Ray, use Crunch!

He moves to obey - after all, he wouldn't ignore the wishes of his trainer - but he already knows the outcome of this fight.

Ray: <I'm sorry that I could not do more, Hoops.>

Kec's attack strikes him hard across the chest before he can lunge to intercept him. The attack knocks him backwards where he tries in vain to get up, before finally succumbing to unconsciousness.

Hoops has lost.

Edited by theoncominghoop on Aug 11th 2021 at 10:18:42 AM

Stormchaser Medbay

-Brie pulls out her phone, taking notes as Kai talks-

Apple-A-Day: Uh, there's also Adelinde. She makes floating swords? And can definitely read minds and do all those things.

-they listen to Kahlia, and strike as dramatic a pose as is possible while still sitting-

The costume? I'm a hero.

And speaking of heroism, maybe you should be resting? I can grab you some aspirin if your head hurts, and maybe some Payapa or Persim berries if you're feeling psychically mixed-up?

Amanita: You should both be resting, honestly. You've been through a lot.

Bishop meditated quietly, flows of data flying all around him, he hummed quietly as he monitored every piece of data available. This was where he was at his best, able to disseminate the flow of information as needed, and he was very capable of catching every new piece of info. Here he was capable of devising battle strategies that the Captain would need, and here he could monitor every bit of encrypted transmission.

Bishop opened an eye, something in the data flow caught his attention. A transmission from a secure base?

He pulled it over and read, it seemed there was illegal experimentation ongoing, belonging to Sakura Genetics. Bishop let out a static noise not too dissimilar to a sigh, it wasn’t any of his usual targets, but the Captain should know about this. Places such as these were usually trouble, School, Pokefutures, Guild… didn’t matter really, all were troublemakers.

He made a copy of the files and sent it off to Murphy for documentation, PEFE deserved to know about these places as well. For now, it was time to talk to the Captain.

Silas set down the breakfast, “Another day. Another possible adventure ahead” he said with a smile, “Good to be back here.”

Roxy started on her pancakes, “Yeah… good to be back.”

~Changes were made,~ Hacks noted, ~Think Bishop was lying about the few upgrades he had made?~

“Probably,” Roxy said, “Bishop was the one who worked out the details with the contractors. Plus he’s a living thing, he can lie.”

Silas sighed, “Bishop is more willing to take advantage of Foxverse tech than we are. He probably cut a deal around things that could be easily obfuscated… or felt we wouldn’t share them.”

As if on cue, the Porygon appeared out of the walls of the ship, “It is many factors Captain. The prime one being, we must maintain a technological advantage, that is our strength. You now own the most advanced and durable suit of body armor on the planet, your beskar armor is a blending of culture, tradition, and technology.”

Hacks frowned, ~Bishop… we’re eating breakfast. Okay?~

Amber spat a bit of flame near him, <Nobody has time for your rampancy!>

Bishop nimbly dodged the jet of flame and shook his head, “I am performing my duties to the Captain and the Ship.”

Silas sighed, “Everyone, please. Bishop is part of our family, let’s try to have some dignity.”

<Whatcha got for us?> Snakeye asked.

Bishop smiled, “I have detected another base. Not Pokefutures or Guild, something else. Sakura Genetics, I have found a secret base of theirs.”

Silas rubbed his face, “Which means inevitably it’s for performing unethical experimentation.”

“Correct,” Bishop noted.

Roxy let out an annoyed grunt, “Why… Why do these places never just… yaknow do something normal? Like up front experimentation?”

Bishop had to consider the Commander’s point, why did so many places go straight to secret unethical work? Why not settle for more up and up research that caused way less investigations? Was there some secret meeting where all the heads of these companies enacted unethical methods where they determined it must be done this way?

Silas stood up, “Okay and… what’s the plan?”

“They are in northern Sinnoh, a mountain base, I will direct the Wing there, you and a small contingent will enter,” Bishop explained, “Sounds good?”

“Sounds too straightforward, what’s the op? What’s the target?”

Bishop tilted his head, “Captain that is not my job, that is yours. You are the one who plans the entrance.”

Silas looked to Roxy who shrugged, “Honestly, I’d rather stay inside here.”

“You got a suit of Mando armor,” Silas pointed out.

“Yeah but that ain’t really me, you do the whole Mandacario thing, it’s not my shtick. I can run ops however,” Roxy said, “Babe… really I love adventures with you, but this stuff isn’t my kind of adventure.”

Silas frowned a little, Roxy pulled him in and gave him a kiss, “I’ll get my own adventure soon enough. This is yours, don’t worry about me.”

Silas stood up, “Alright. Bishop, prepare your IG-Body, we’re going in.”

The Wing landed, Silas and Bishop stepped out of the cargo bay, Hacks wrapped up in a heavy snow coat, ~I hate the snow.~

“Lucarios are native to mountain environments,” Bishop pointed out, “You should feel at home.”

“Not as cold and snowy as this area,” Silas responded, “Hacks it’d be easier for you if you travelled by ball for now.”

Hacks frowned, ~Fine, you know I hate it.~

“You’ll be let out as soon as we hit the research base, won’t be too long,” Silas said.

Hacks was recalled, Silas turned to Bishop, “You okay in there?”

“This body was designed for function over form, I am fine. I do apologize for the lack of aesthetic quality,” Bishop said.

“Hey it’s working out and it’s aesthetics blend well with mine in a way, come on, we got a lab to clear.”

The two trekked up the ridge and came to a stop… if there was any way to describe what they were seeing, it was “neon bright”. The lab was contained in a heavily armed compound, guards everywhere, what looked to be a helicopter landing with a Sakura Genetics logo on it. If there was anything about this place, it was obvious… This was obviously pretty open about being an unethical research center.

“Captain I must ponder if we are smart or our foes are just stupid,” Bishop said, whirring sounds coming from the PRB’s optics.

“A little of both,” Silas noted, using the telefocus on his helmet, “A little of both.”

The two scouted out over the location, Silas sending helmet photos back to the Wing for archival. He drew his blaster and set it on stun, “Do the same Bishop.”

“Captain it would be far more efficient and less likely for us-”

“Bishop… I respect your need for efficiency and I understand you are going rampant… however right now… do as I command.”

Bishop decided stun would be just as effective…

Dr. Julian was a brilliant geneticist, top of his class and valedictorian, with work in the gene sequencing that made modern cloning possible. He had worked for numerous companies over the years, Pokefutures, Aether Foundation, PEFE. Pokefutures had gone down for being mad butchers, fair… Aether Foundation had let him go because he apparently didn’t vibe with the company and was a “trouble employee”, that hurt… PEFE had let him go for “unethical practices'' and “unsupervised work”.

Was it exactly fair that one of the employees themselves was just as ‘unethical’ as he was AND had been performing more experiments? Julian suspected favoritism among the staff heads.

Still, Sakura had recognized his brilliance and had given him a new position, with the records they had, as well as his own notes from the Aether Foundation, they had begun work on a project. Type: Null.

Julian marched into the lab and looked at the Type: Null held within, he looked to the guards, “Any major changes?”

Apollo, a thinner man with slicked red hair shrugged, “He just sits there… staring at us.”

Hercules, a wider man with tinted dark blue hair scratched his head, “What are we supposed to look out for? We’re hired muscle.”

Julian grunted, “Observation. Observe the subject, let us know if it starts acting out!”

From the sealed area, <I am not an “it”, my name is Khan. And you should have never made me…>

Julian sighed, “Why is it when I’m here it starts making noises?”

Hercules laughed, “If I’ve learned anything, it’s your little Frankenstein hates you.”

Julian and Apollo stared at Hercules, “What?” Herc asked.

“Frankenstein was the man, the monster didn’t have a name, but could go by Adam,” Apollo stated.

Herc frowned, “As if I’m supposed to know that.”

“It is one of the most commonly referenced points about Frankenstein, virtually everyone knows by now that Victor is the Frankenstein, and the Monster,” Julian responded, “A scientific genius only held back by his own flaws who can’t recognize them.”

<Sounds a lot like someone I know,> Khan stated from his holding cell, still chained up.

“So what do we do about the beast?” Apollo asked, “Do we leave him?”

“He will break eventually,” Julian commented, “It is merely a matter of time.”

Apollo and Hercules looked out, Khan staring back at them… he knew what they were, backup, should he break out, they’d step in and beat him back. There was something… off about them, the last time he had faced them, they had broken his legs, it was all so fast.

A intern stepped by, “Hey we’re heading some people into town for a lunch run, you guys want anything?”

“Where ya hitting?” Herc asked.

“Club 80, best we can get on the budget for a lunch run for a place this big,” the Intern said.

“Oh I’ll take a Number 8 combo,” Apollo said.

“Just get me an all beef burger,” Julian added.

“I’ll take the Deluxe 3rd Pound,” Hercules commented.

“You want fries as well?” The Intern asked.

“Uh…” Herc mumbled, before pulling a diamond like crystal and mumbling to it, “Should I get the fries?”

<Get the fries, you’ll need the energy in the coming days.>

Herc nodded and put the crystal away, “Yes I’ll take the fries.”

The intern stared at Herc, and shrugged before walking off, Apollo just glared, “Really? You couldn’t make that decision yourself?”

Hercules shrugged, “You’re the brains of the operation. I’m the muscle.”

Julian sighed, he turned back to the control console and began to tap around the settings… The subject needed discipline. Sakura Genetics wanted evidence that the work into the Null Project was worth the investment, the power was good yes, but power you can’t control is useless. So it was up to him to make Type: Null good and docile for the investors, or else he’d be in trouble…

“Alright Type: Null, prepare to understand your position in life…” Julian mumbled to himself as he reached for the lever…

Klaxons went off, the lights went out and warning red lights began to flash, Julian looked about, “The hell happened?”

The Guards looked over the snow blasted mountaintop. Why did anybody suspect there’d be anything out here, this far out on the mountain anybody would have to be crazy to go up here! Or they might be some young trainer who got lost… a quick helicopter ride back down the mountain usually solved that one.

So when one of the towers started to shout, that was a sign that something was wrong. The Guards instantly got up and were looking out over the snowy scape. Running down the mountain, before breaking into a slide was what appeared to be a figure in blue, with a cape of some sort. The Guards stood there confused at what this one idiot was doing… before said idiot tossed his cape over his shoulder and blasted over the wall with a Jetpack.

Silas tossed out a few pokeballs right before he landed, out popped Amber, Dimitri, and Hacks. Hacks cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck, ~Alright… who’s first?~

Silas drew his blaster and zapped a guard rushing out of the door, “Clear the area out. I’ll get the door open for our heavy artillery.”

Amber grinned, her back ignited, the snow and ice melting all around her, with a deep inhale, she spat a torrent of flame. The Guards with their Ice types had to run, one got wise and tossed out a Blastoise, who before he could even start got two feet to the face in the form of a drop kick from Hacks.

Dimitri shook himself and let out a roar, electricity arcing off his body, the lights around the complex started to shine brighter and brighter… before cracking and shorting out with a loud popping of glass. <Alright… who dares face the blue lion?>

Silas zapped a guard with a stun blast and flew up to the gate controls, he flipped the switch and let the door open. A Glalie was fighting with Amber, when the guard commanding it was suddenly hit with a yellow bolt of energy. In marched Bishop, his PRB frame firing at every guard in sight with speed and precision.

Amber spat another torrent of flame at a pack of Glaceon, their trainers being struck with Bishop’s blaster rifles. Dimitri zapped the control circuits for the doors to the complex, as Hacks tossed a brick break and knocked them open.

Silas dropped down and tossed his cape back down, 5 minutes, “Bishop we’re recording right?”

“Affirmative Captain.”

“How’s it looking back home?”

Roxy’s voice came over the radio, “Looking good, we got footage of what Sakura is up to, so that’ll make handling them in the courts if need be a little easier.”

Silas turned his attention to the Sakura Gentics logo on the side of the building, “Like they’re not even trying to hide it.”

“They probably figured that an area such as this would be secure, and easy to explain,” Bishop noted, “We should move Captain.”

Silas nodded and walked into the open door, “Right, everyone follow me.”

The building shook a bit, Dr. Julian looked about, “Sounds like they’re bringing out the heavy weapons… The hell is hitting us? An army?”

“Perhaps some form of task squad,” Apollo noted, gripping onto a diamond gem in his hand, “We may be needed.”

Julian shook his head and tutted, he flipped a switch on the control console and the door shut. Apollo and Hercules stared at Julian, who grinned, “We’re fine, we’re cut off from the rest of the complex now, even the vents are shut, O2 tanks and recyclers can keep 10 people in here going for 30 days, there are only 4 of us here, if we count the Type Null.”

Hercules blinked, “And if they can get through that door?”

“Impossible, and even if, that’s what you two are for.”

Hercules stared at Julian, who sat contentedly with himself. The Doctor seemed so sure they were safe, the look in his eyes said confidence. There was a sudden jump from the doctor as a loud slamming noise was heard, the two looked out into the observation area.

Type Null, Khan, was pulling and thrashing, <I will be free!>

He shook his head, the chains creaking and cracking, Julian looked displeased, “Did I not tell Corporate that I needed stronger chains?”

Hercules looked out, “What do you do if he breaks out?”

“If it breaks those chains,” Julian commented, bringing his hand over to a simple switch, “I throw this, and then we have to start again.”

The tile began to crack, Julian smiled, “Though with that helmet, Type Null cannot break free anyways. Its powers are suppressed.”

Apollo looked to the door, he knew the intruders would arrive soon enough.

Dyna Hill, past

Channah: <Why are they fighting? Should we just wait for them to stop?>

Stormchaser Training Room

Mason: ...Right. Yeah.

-He shrugs-

Mason: I... don't know if it really matters. It might just be one more thing to be distracted by while we're still fighting the School. I dunno how well "even if we win, the people you care about might just die from cancer eventually anyway" would go over on top of the threat of us being hunted.

-He sighs, watching the haze start to thin out again.-

Mason: I dunno. Maybe if we start getting more students in our midst, it might be something worth thinking about, you can probably ask for their thoughts on the matter. But I don't think I'm the best person to ask about it, since I've already gotten an extension on my deadline.

Stormchaser Medbay

Kai: ...It was already my fight. When Molybdenum turned Megan against me and Daydre and Tagg and Ever, it already became our fight. I just... shouldn't have put that much attention on myself.

-What starts out as a weak, mirthless chuckle becomes another coughing fit.-

Kai: ...I'm doing a pretty bad job at not getting into dangerous situations, huh, Brie?

-They sigh.-

Kai: ...I'm not going anywhere now. I'm... resting. Don't know if sleep is in the cards though.

Dyna Tree Hill

-There's a crack of rolling thunder.-

-At least, that's what it sounds like at first. What it actually is, is the sound of a large branch breaking and falling, with an oversized fruit still attached.-

Squawky Voice: <Mine now!>

-An orange Zapdos hops down out of the branches of the tree, intent to make off with the fallen fruit while the other birds are distracted. As they reach it, though, they perk up, seeing Tagg, Channah, and associated Pokemon.-

Galarian Zapdos: <...You saw nothing.>

-They lug the branch and fruit over their back like a bindle stick, before doing their best to hurry away while the others are occupied.-

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Aug 11th 2021 at 7:16:46 AM

Stormchaser Medbay

-Kahlia looks sadly at Kai, but then nods.-

Kahlia: ...If you're sure. But I swear, if they wanna start going after you, they're gonna have to go through me first. No way in hell am I letting them get to someone I care about.

-She looks back at Apple-A-Day... then gives a weak chuckle of her own, this one seemingly containing some genuine mirth.-

Kahlia: ...Thanks. I kinda needed a laugh. Painkillers would probably help more, but hey, laughter is the best medicine and all.

...

If I tell you I'm a supervillain, are you obliged to try and thwart me?

Edited by Herbert40k on Aug 11th 2021 at 12:24:11 PM

Silas moved methodically, smacking a rifle out of a guard’s hand and wrapping his metal arm around the man’s neck, before zapping his buddies. The guard let out a squeak of panic right before being tossed.

Bishop was even faster, marching through, zapping everything and everyone he saw with snap quick movements. The PRB was a bit ugly, but in the function it had, it was oddly beautiful in a way. Function over form, and when said form is essentially a walking sentry turret.

Dimitri zapped every camera he could see, Hacks walking with purpose besides Silas, ~I don’t see any more guards. Either they’ve got jammers or we just cleaned out another area.~

Bishop finished, “I have cleared the area. The lift ahead will take us to the bottom level.”

Silas entered the elevator and turned to the controls, “No bottom floor button. Bishop?”

Bishop’s PRB slumped over, as out flew the Pory into the system… 2 seconds later he flew out, “Apologies for the delay Captain. Security was a bit tighter than expected.”

Hacks scoffed, ~Really now?~

Amber grinned, <That’s Bishop for you. Anything less than instant is unacceptable.>

“This Frame runs on several Solid States, speed is paramount to a good operation.”

<Despite it being very slow at walking,> Dimitri commented.

“Speed was sacrificed for armor,” Bishop defended, “It is still serving the Captain well. I may design a high speed PRB if you keep commenting!”

Silas chuckled, “Easy Bishop. Tone down the rampancy, we have work to do.”

The elevator descended slowly, the bottom of the complex awaiting them.

Julian stared at the security monitor, “What… a cosplayer? A cosplayer has so thoroughly infiltrated our base?”

Apollo laughed, “Look at him, look at that outfit, and how cute he has a toy robot with him!”

Hercules scratched his head, “Why are you laughing? He cut through the guards like they were nothing. Quickdraw blasts and a team meant to support his abilities.”

Apollo held up the gem, “We’re prepared. This cosplayer is nothing.”

“He got here in that outfit, it’s probably not just EVA foam,” Hercules noted, “And the way that machine moves. We should be ready.”

Apollo stared at Hercules, “Did you actually think about this?”

“What? I can think.”

<None of you ever think straight,> Khan commented, still slowly pulling on his chains.

Julian shrugged, “Well… regardless, we should be fine. Not like he can blow the door open.

“Setting charge,” Silas commented, grabbing a clacker as he backed up, “Everyone back.”

Dimitri stared at the explosive, <You sure this will work?>

“A little C-4 never hurt,” Silas commented, bringing Dimitri back around a corner. He pulled the trigger on the clacker, and the door blew open. Hacks grinning at the result, it was true, a little C-4 never hurt, especially for shortcutting crazy schemes.

Silas tossed out two more balls and let out Wayne and Byleth, who shook themselves a bit.

<Still not used to that…> Byleth commented.

“Alright, let’s move.”

In came the cosplayer, blaster pistol drawn, “Stand down, now,” he said sweeping the weapon over the room. He was followed by 5 pokemon, a Lucario, a Luxray, a Typhlosion, a Noivern, and a Shiny Bisharp. Then crouching under the door frame came the robot, it was a lot larger in person.

“Cease your activities and we will be merciful, we have evidence of your wrongdoings, surrender and we will be lenient and ensure a fair trial,” The machine said.

Julian looked about, then to his guards, “Hercules! Apollo! STOP THEM!”

Apollo stretched, Hercules gripped onto a gem, Apollo scoffed, “Yeah yeah. We’ll do what we’re paid to do.”

The two gripped onto gems, a glow came from the gems as wisps of power encircled them, they were cocooned in balls of light… and it passed. Silas stared in shock at the result… there was no way… this wasn’t… how??

He recalled the artistic phenomena “gijinka” which took concepts and even pokemon and humanized them, not anthropomorphic much like his time in the Foxverse, no these men now resembled near perfect human pokemon mixes.

Apollo had become a blend of Infernape and Man, he grinned, “Oh Blaise… the power you grant, it excites me.”

Hercules stretched, now heavily armored like a Heracross, “Griffin, let me borrow your power, we have work to do.”

The two leaped forward, Silas tucking out of the way as quickly as possible, “Bishop!”

“Roger Captain.”

The two opened fire, firing numerous blaster bolts into them, stun blasts would short circuit their nervous system and force it into a temporary shutdown, rendering them unconscious. That’s how it was supposed to work, any excess energy would be dispersed across the body harmlessly. This was technology perfected over centuries…

The two stood there, Apollo even yawned, Hercules mimicked checking a watch.

“What?” Silas commented, staring at the results.

Edited by EchoingSilence on Aug 11th 2021 at 4:41:18 AM

Outside Hammerlocke, Post-Battle

-Evelyn breathes a sigh, knowing that the battle is finally over.-